America: My Time

Chapter 1483 Crazy
Chapter 1473 Madness

"Aren't you afraid of being criticized by those guys? After all, such a project is quite tempting for many people!"

"So what? Would I harm my own interests because of their greed or their own interests? If you don't have the strength, don't have such ridiculous ideas. I don't care what they think. I believe those old guys won't make an enemy of me over such a small matter. As for the donkeys, even if this didn't happen, they would still jump out!"

When making these decisions, John was very clear that there was no need to compromise himself to think about those guys. He was no longer the boy he once was, and his twenty-year plan no longer needed to take their opinions into account.

"Human nature is unpredictable. There will always be some greedy people who will jump out. No matter how good your reasons are, they will not accept them because you have harmed their interests, which they cannot forgive."

"Hehe, I'll say it again: I'll kill anyone who gets in my way, and I'll kill even the Buddha if he gets in my way. They can do anything for profit, and I can also be murderous to protect my own interests. Those guys won't think my knife isn't sharp. The reason I chose to unleash my full power at this time is because of the exchange of benefits. As long as those old guys don't cause trouble, everything will be fine!"

John was right. As long as those old guys like Rockefeller didn't cause trouble or become John's enemies, none of this was a big deal. After all, John held the power of discourse, and at this time, the oil capital dared not make any rash moves. After all, John had offered enough benefits in exchange. If John were to abandon the previous agreement, those old guys would go crazy, and someone would pay a bloody price!
This is a capitalist world; mercy doesn't exist. Everyone will go crazy for profit. If those guys don't know when to back down and insist on causing trouble, they should be prepared to die. John dares to start a war, but do others have that kind of courage? John has already made a comprehensive plan. Are those people prepared for that? As long as John acts tough enough, he won't need to get involved in many things. Those old guys will step in to solve all the troubles for John in order to protect their own interests!
John has been planning this for twenty years, and in those twenty years, he has taken every step steadily, obtaining everything he wanted. Now, John is offering his interests in exchange for his own, and anyone who dares to stand in his way will face a fight to the death. Whether you can see through all of this or not, John will not back down. Those who stand in his way now are enemies, and there is no room for mercy towards enemies!

“That being said, killing won’t solve anything. And right now, there are too many greedy people and too many fools, both in Oregon and throughout the United States. ‘Freedom’ is something many people are obsessed with, do you understand?” Calvin reminded John again, because he sensed a terrible madness in John’s eyes and words.

"Whether you understand or not is no longer important. What difference does it make if you do understand or not? In the end, everything will be decided by strength. I still maintain that we have no way out now, and compromise is useless! Time waits for no one, and I don't want to waste this precious time! You think everything is negotiable, but in my opinion, there is no room for negotiation. Those old guys are only greedy, and compromise will only make them more insane! Do you think my enemies are only those guys? I have to face not only pressure from the United States, but also pressure from all over the world. Taking a step back would be like falling into an abyss!"

John shook his head as he spoke. With so many interests entangled, he really couldn't compromise. The Europeans weren't greedy and had no interest in the wealth in their hands. It was just that the Japanese weren't greedy enough. Even the Koreans were incredibly greedy. If given the chance, these guys would go crazy for it!

Now that his plan has begun, the Koreans and Japanese have already joined in, as have the Europeans. As long as he holds firm on the American side, there won't be any problems either. How could he possibly compromise now? He's offered so much in return to lure these guys into the game; if he compromises now, what chance does his plan have of success?
Let alone Calvin's persuasion, even if his parents stood up to persuade him or even opposed him, it would be useless. He had spent twenty years gradually leading these guys into the game, so how could he give up because of other people's persuasion!
"That's it. Let them get moving. My plan will not change, and I will not compromise with those guys. This is just an exchange of interests, nothing else. I believe those old guys will make the right choice."

When John had said all that, Calvin sighed and said nothing more. He knew his persuasion had failed. Did he have no selfish motives? No, Calvin knew he did, but his selfish motive was not wanting his reputation to be damaged; after all, he was the governor of Oregon. If something went wrong, he would be the one to be blamed, not John.

Of course, Calvin could relinquish his governorship, but doing so would mean a complete break with John. After all, backing down at this point would be a betrayal of John! Having reached this point, Calvin had no way out but to grit his teeth and continue. He knew that if he betrayed John, he would have no place in the entire United States. A man who betrays even his own family would not gain anyone's approval, especially since he had also profited immensely from John's influence!

Watching Calvin's departing figure, John sighed softly. He still had too few capable people, and not everyone shared his vision or mindset. Even his uncle had selfish motives and agendas at this crucial moment. This made John realize that he didn't have much time left. If it weren't for his formidable front, he might have faced betrayal from his own family first. Time—he needed time. Only after this plan succeeded, after the dot-com bubble burst, could he truly control everything and face any challenge without fear. Only by ruthlessly exploiting those guys and making them pay a heavy price could he break free of all shackles. This path was lonely; not everyone could understand his plan!
John isn't afraid of the backlash from those guys? He certainly isn't. When the dot-com bubble bursts, those old guys and those greedy bastards will pay a heavy price and suffer huge losses. But they will rely on him more, since they still hold shares in his companies in the US. Unless they want to start a full-scale war with him, they can only endure it. After all, this is their own doing and has little to do with him.

Many people know that John is playing a grand game, using the victory of the Asian financial crisis to complete his own transformation. But how many people can truly see through John's plan? Can anyone see through everything in John's game? No one. Even old guys like Morgan and Rockefeller couldn't see through John's layout. After all, the influence John was exerting at this time was too great, and the companies and resources involved were too vast. Not to mention that they couldn't see through John's layout, even John's think tank personnel didn't know John's overall plan. What they knew was only John's asset restructuring and asset transfer!

"Are you all surprised that I've gathered you all here? It's still about the asset restructuring. Although the layout in Asia isn't completely finished, the framework is in place. The situation in the US is also being accelerated. However, there are some problems in Europe, especially after this asset restructuring. Not only are there many issues with the liquor group, but also with the sports group. Don't be fooled by the previous agreements; people's hearts are unpredictable. Right now, those guys are fine and won't cause trouble, but that might change in the long run. So, I need to make better arrangements."

The clever woman understood John's intention: in short, the child's upbringing needed to be comprehensive. The sports group was indeed valuable, but they were well aware of the situation in Europe—it was all an exchange of interests.

Seeing that no one spoke, John continued, "The teams and clubs of the sports group will be used for training, but I don't want you to interfere too much. As for the operating funds needed for the children, they will be provided by the profits of the wineries in the wine group. The winery profits you previously controlled will be handed over to you on time!"

Since John is going to go all out, he'll go even bigger, and naturally, he'll be even more ruthless in raising his children, investing more resources. It's all about the winner taking all the opportunities; whether they can satisfy him depends on their individual abilities.

As for what those old guys think, and what those European bastards are planning, none of that matters to John. Opportunities are equal for everyone. Luck is also a part of ability; true fairness doesn't exist. If his own child can't even grasp this, then there's no point in nurturing him. Forcing him onto the stage will only bring disaster to the company!
"Is this really necessary? Isn't this all a bit too early?" Lee Boo-jin frowned slightly and asked. After all, she had the best background of everyone, and she herself had never experienced such intensive training!
John said calmly, "It's not early at all. You don't think this is everything. Right now, we're just letting them experience everything and understand the ruthlessness of business. Once they're familiar with everything, it will be time for them to make their own choices. That's the real test. Otherwise, why do you think I would break up such a huge conglomerate into these smaller conglomerates and suffer such huge losses?"

While John was scheming against those old men, he was also making arrangements for his children. After all, his conglomerate was too large; he could orchestrate everything through his precognitive abilities, but could his successors do the same? John didn't believe such a scenario was possible; just look at the fate of those established families. Early preparation was the right thing to do; don't put all your eggs in one basket.

"What are the hotel group's plans? This time you sold assets in New York and the United States, including some hotels! Will the shares held by the charitable foundation also be sold off?" Jennifer Connelly asked at this moment. After all, as the manager of the charitable foundation, she was also under pressure from the asset restructuring. This series of asset restructurings had a significant impact on the charitable foundation, making her feel uneasy.
"No need. The sale of the hotel group is just a normal decision. It's inevitable to abandon those assets that aren't very valuable. They lack character and keeping them would only be a burden to the company. It's time to make a clean break. There's no need to worry about it!" John knew about the crisis in the United States after 9/11. It affected not only aviation but also hotels and tourism. Giving up those unimportant assets in advance was necessary, since there were plenty of 'fools' willing to take them on at that time!
After the Asian financial crisis, Europeans were lured in by the bait they had thrown out, along with funds from Japan, South Korea, and even Southeast Asia. At this time, they were selling off their US assets in exchange for increased investment in Asia, which was a perfect opportunity. Moreover, at this time, those old guys wouldn't jump out to stop it all!
Looking at the 'madness' of Japan now, John never expected these guys to be so crazy, buying up all the assets he had thrown away. You know, the failure of Rockefeller Center caused Mitsubishi Properties a considerable loss. He originally thought those guys in Japan wouldn't be too crazy, but he was wrong. He underestimated his influence and reputation in Japan.

It was precisely because John saw this outcome that he considered going even further, wanting to sell off all the less distinctive hotels in the hotel group and retain only the most important ones. Although this would drastically reduce the hotel group's wealth, John felt it was worthwhile and an effective way to mitigate risk.

The hotels John is selling are all profitable now, and with the Asian financial crisis over, Europeans and Americans have huge sums of money to invest, and Japan and South Korea also want to swap assets. Under these circumstances, selling off these assets is the best thing to do.

Of course, this is also a form of advance preparation. After all, to stage a massive profit-taking spree after the dot-com bubble burst and 9/11, careful planning is essential. Otherwise, how could one accomplish everything silently and escape before the enemy could react? All of this takes time. This time, John dares not easily use the funds from Integrity Bank, Hurricane Investment, and Standard Chartered Bank. Preparing funds through this asset restructuring is the best course of action!
(End of this chapter)